History

Vande Mataram and the 2026 Amendment: From voluntary honour to penal coercion

While the slogan Vande Mataram galvanised millions during India’s struggle for liberation from the clutches of colonial rule, this essay demonstrates that the 2026 Amendment –that the BJP has orchestrated--does not represent historical continuity, but rather a contemporary majoritarian redefinition of a complex national symbol.

The targeted vandalisation caused by revisionist history: Agra’s Mubarak Manzil

The Mubarak Manzil in Agra built by Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed. Even after several complaints by the locals, no action taken by authorities until it was more than 70% demolished

How has Swami Vivekananda looked at Jesus Christ?

Vivekananda strongly argued that Jesus belonged to the Eastern world (Asia). He went even further, boldly claiming that all great souls and incarnations originated in the Orient.

Sab ka Malik Ek: Sai Baba and pluralism within Hinduism

The attack on, or antipathy with Sai Baba of Shirdi has much to do with his universal appeal

Fortieth anniversary of the forgotten mass 1984 killing of Sikhs, rapist and killers yet to be identified and punished

Four decades of apathy and empathy have marked the failure of the Indian State and Judiciary to provide substantive justice to the Sikh victims of 1984

Bharat Dabholkar’s adulation of Nathuram Godse is titled Nathuram Godse Must Die

During NDA I under Atal Behari Vajpayee, Hindutva propagandists who also vilify Gandhi had used the original play by Pradeep Dalvi Mee Nathuram Boltey to shift discourse towards his veneration, now under a far more aggressive regime, Bharat Dabholar of the Amul ad fame follows suit with a new adaptation

The real significance of September 17 & the continuing struggle for Telangana’s Legacy

True democratic governance post Nizam’s rule began only after the 1952 general elections, unlike what the present Congress’s claims (A. Revanth Reddy, has chosen to commemorate September 17 as ‘Praja Palana Dinotsavam’—or ‘People’s Governance Day.’) that democracy took root immediately after annexation on September 17, 1948 because following the annexation, Hyderabad was placed under military rule, led by General J.N. Chaudhary, until 1949

Remembering a legacy of peace: The enduring influence of Badshah Khan

In a world increasingly fraught with conflict and the...

Constituent Assembly Did Not Envision ‘One Nation, One Election’

Modi regime negates the legislative intent of the Constituent Assembly and B.R. Ambedkar’s vision by accepting the ‘One Nation, One Election’ scheme.

Political History of India’s Two Muslim Universities since 1947

The dominance of an elite Muslim upper caste and class has hindered healthy research and introspection among these two dominant universities writes the author

How Hindutva forces colluded with both the British & Jinnah against the historic ‘Quit India’ movement: Archives

Why and how Hindutva organisations like the RSS and the HMS need to desperately cover up their pro-British past including their role in repressing the historic Quit India Movement

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Sit Where We Stand: The segregated back rooms for sanitation staff in urban spaces

The absence of dignified break rooms for sanitation staff in urban spaces is a visible residue of caste-exclusionary practices that have become normalised. Women who work here—whether in universities or elsewhere—are often left with no option but to rest on bathroom floors.

After some dithering, Odisha government rejects premature release of Graham Staines murder convict Dara Singh

Odisha Chief Minister, Mohan Charan Majhi, had in 2022, when he was a BJP legislator supported demands for Dara Singh’s early release, a demand vocalised by Sudarshan TV’s editor, Suresh Chavhanke

Six Years Behind Bars, Still No Trial: Umar Khalid’s long wait for justice

Six years after his arrest, Umar Khalid remains in custody without trial, while successive bail pleas continue to be contested

Deaths, Denials and Delayed Action: The Balaghat crisis

From malnutrition and disease to protests and court intervention, Balaghat’s Adivasi villages reveal a crisis that the administration appears to have recognised only after the deaths became impossible to ignore  

Why Swatantra Bhardwaj is a pawn in our politics

As a fellow Bihari and a native of Darbhanga, my heart goes out to the middle class parents who pawn jewellery and mortgage ancestral property to send their ladlas and ladlis to a big city…